Monthly Archives: December 2015

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The government boogeyman is not forcing us to text, and drive at the same time. We are the ones making the conscious choice to enter data into the EMR in the examination room while interacting with our patients. So why do so many of us do it?

On the surface it seems intuitive. We are all good multitaskers. While listening to the same old story, why not update the record. No harm done. While we are at is, how about looking at our incoming messages and emails. It will get us home sooner. Multi-tasking saves time – right? As it turns out many of us are mistaken about multitasking. Continue reading →

Dr. Craviotto on The Purity of Medical Learning, Contentment and Satisfaction:

Words could never adequately explain my passion or love for our medical profession and what I do. What we do.

I absolutely loved my medical school experience. Don’t get me wrong: It was damn hard, grueling and challenging. But I loved the commitment, passion, dedication and energy of my medical school fellow students. We bonded together. We endured. We persevered. We learned. Anatomy. Physiology. Pathology. Clinical rotations. On call. Tired, spent and challenged. But I loved it. I gave up my 20’s and 30’s but oh what I gained. To see all of my medical students and residents passionately learn, tirelessly apply themselves, dedicate their lives to their patients and learn the art of medicine, the skills of doctoring through the lows, the highs and yes the tears well that is the stuff that bonds us together. They can never take that from me or you or us.

What we have is eternal. A passion to heal, a desire to learn, a humility that is born out of striving to heal another human being but occasionally failing. Patients will always die, complications ensue and disease destroys the human body. But we press on always optimistic, always looking for a cure, committed to our patients and striving to do our best for our patients.

They can never take that away from us. You are all my heroes. I love you for your ideals and your dedication. Here is the challenge. Don’t let them destroy the passion of why you became a doctor. That’s my prayer for our medical profession. Bless you all.

Kris, Yes, but I must also add something which we discussed in Colorado to what I believe is simply a factual observation. The circumstances we are currently living have been very long in the making. Those who favor “government run and planned” medical care are running up against a very harsh reality.the economics of their plans don’t work.there is a fundamental math issue which they tend to gloss over and ignore, but just witness the Vermont attempts. Even Governor Shumlin had to finally admit, although he waited for his re-election, that in the final analysis they couldn’t do it.duh.it is no surprise to us. Continue reading →

Thank you to Pediatrician Marion Mass, MD for supplying a timely holiday post for IP4PI:

Let’s talk charity. True charity is that which is given willingly and freely. Physicians are in the unique position to give such a valuable commodity, many do give of their time, but could the government make it easier for them? And if they did, would there be any beneficial side effects?

Enter Dr. Alieta Eck, M.D. who founded the Zarephath Health Center in New Jersey with her physician husband, John Eck. Zarephath is a local free clinic serving 300-400 patients per month, and doing so at a fraction of the cost that it would take the same patients to receive care under the government plan. Continue reading →

After spending the last 7 years treading water naively and optimistically waiting for things to be repealed and fixed and after countless trips to DC and across the country trying to cry from the wilderness of the practice of medicine from the trenches with many of you and our organizations, I am convinced this is beyond repair and will never be repealed by those in power.

The Philosophy of the architects of the current system we are floundering in is the antithesis of Hippocratic medicine and in fact works to undermine and dismantle it. Just take innovation- look at Ezekiel Emanuel’s own words on this- he believes innovation is too expensive and the taxes in Obamacare reflect this opinion. He also is an ethicist whose roots stem from his area of expertise which is dying with dignity and systems of rationing like the complete lives system. Continue reading →

On February 10, 2012 Medical Economics published my letter: Why don’t lawyers have to be recertified?

As an obstetrician/gynecologist who finished my residency in 1985, I earned a 10-year certificate when taking my boards. If I had graduated in 1984, I would have been certified for life. The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) requires a two-part exam. The first part is written, and the second is a 3-hour oral examination, part of which is based on the entire list of all the physician’s hospitalized patients plus representative outpatient visits. I passed and was recertified 10 years later. In 2001, my specialty board modified the certificate to be valid for 6 years. Continue reading →